Early Autumn Stew

Finished Stew

My mom used to make stew when I was a kid and honestly, that must have been one of my least favorite meals.  I can remember the wonderful smell filling the house and me, in my room, imagining something really good for dinner.  When it was finally ready, I would run to the kitchen with anticipation, only to be disappointed at those chuncks of carrots, potatoes, celery and onion staring at me from the pot.  Ugh!  How I hated all those vegetables and that beefy soup.

Now that I am an adult, I'm still not a fan of stew. Not beef stew anyway.  I am however, in love with this recipe for hearty and delicious Early Autumn Stew made with pork, carrots, celery, onion and accented with the sweetness of apples and cranberries.  Oh this is the perfect meal on those chilly autumn nights.

We usually go apple picking every year and this is a great way to use all those apples that we bring home.  We didn't go this year but I still managed to get in a pot of stew.  My kids love it and it seems to be a big hit with all who have tried it.

This recipe was taken from Rachel Ray who cooked it on her show a few years back and I've been making it every year since.



Cubed Pork and flour

Dredge pork in flour seasoned with paprika

Sear pork in olive oil until browned and remove from pot

Add vegetables, apples and herbs and allspice to pot after meat is removed

Fresh thyme and bay leaf

Cook vegetables until tender

Deglaze the pan with apple cider then add chicken stock.

Simmer for 10 minutes

EARLY AUTUMN STEW

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins, silver skin removed (you can have a butcher do this for you) and cut into 2-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), divided
• 1 large Spanish onion, cut into 2-inch dice
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch dice
• 4 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 4 McIntosh apples, peeled or unpeeled and cut into 2-inch dice
• 2 pinches allspice
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups cloudy apple cider
• 3-4 cups chicken stock (depending on how thick you like your stew)
• 1 loaf crusty bread

Serves 6

Preparation

Pre-heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat with two tablespoons of EVOO, about two turns of the pan.

Place the pieces of tenderloin onto a sheet tray and season them with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss with flour until well-coated.
Once ripples appear in the oil and it starts to very lightly smoke, add the pork to the pot and sear it until well-browned on all sides, 7-8 minutes (lots of brown bits will remain on the bottom of the pot). Remove the meat to a platter and reserve.

Add the remaining two tablespoons of EVOO to the pot along with the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and thyme, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook the vegetables until they begin to tenderize, about 6-8 minutes then add in the apples, allspice and cranberries, and cook until the vegetables are quite tender, 3-5 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the cider, scraping up the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add in the chicken stock and toss the pork back into the hot tub. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pull out the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the pot and discard them.
To serve, line the bottom of six bowls with chunks of bread. Ladle the stew on top of the bread and enjoy!

BANANA STRAWBERRY NUT BREAD

Fall is here and I've been waiting for a chance to turn my oven on and start baking but with this heatwave we've been having in Southern California, it's been a game of patience.  Today was finally cool enough where I could turn on the oven without needing to turn on the air conditioner.

As I was homeschooling my son, my mind was wandering as to what to bake.  I ran through the ingredients we had on hand and remembered we had raspberries and bananas.  Since I like both, I decided to try a banana raspberry bread.  I found my recipe for banana nut bread and figured I could toss some raspberries in and it wouldn't hurt.

Unfortunately, I didn't have as many raspberries as I thought but did have strawberries so I decided to substitute with those.  I added chopped walnuts because after all, what's banana bread without walnuts.  You could also use pecans instead of walnuts which would taste just as good.

I love how moist this bread is.  Not too sweet but oh so good!

BANANA STRAWBERRY NUT BREAD

2 Cups Flour
3/4 Cups Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
3 ripe bananas (mashed really well)
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup strawberries (hulled and finely chopped)
1 cup finely chopped walnuts 

Heat oven to 350º.  Grease or spray two bread loaf pans.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix well.  In another bowl, combine mashed bananas, milk, egg and vanilla extract.  Add the strawberries and walnuts and mix well.  Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and gently fold together.  (You don't want to mix too much or the bread will come out dense and dry)  Divide the batter into the loaf pans and bake for 1 hour.  Let cool and enjoy!!

 

Apple Fries

Tori's Apple Fries

We don't live too far from Legoland in Carlsbad, CA but it's not someplace we frequent.  When we do go, however, we love to stop at Granny's Apple Fries.  This is a small food court in the park.  I remember the first time we went to Legoland.  We saw people eating these treats and couldn't wait to try them.  They were so good!  Each time we go back, I say I'm going to try to duplicate them but forget.

A couple weeks ago, during Sunday Football, I decided to try to make some.  They were so good and got gobbled up as soon as I put them out.  The dipping sauce is a little different since the original is made with cream cheese and my husband can't eat that.  I instead used, whipping cream which is just as good!

Apple Fries

Granny Smith Apples
Cornstarch
Vegetable Oil
Cinnamon
Granulated Sugar

Dipping Sauce

Whipping Cream (or Cool Whip)
Vanilla
Pumpkin Pie Spice

Peel and Core the apples.  Slice into french fry sticks.  Coat with cornstarch and shake off excess.  Heat oil to 375º and carefully put the fries in oil to fry.  Fry until just golden and drain on paper towels.  Coat fries with cinnamon sugar.

Combine whipping cream, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice.  mix and serve with fries. 

Granny's Apple Fries

Tori's Puffy Tacos

I am so excited about his recipe!  My family loves to eat at Arturo's Puffy Taco's in Whitter, CA.  They have got the best tacos I have ever tasted.   We don't live too close but whenever we're in the area, we stop and enjoy the great food!  Each time we go, I'm baffled as to how they make their taco shells.  They aren't your ordinary hard shells.  They are corn, fried but oh so soft and "puffy!"

I have tried different things at home but could never come close, until now!  I experimented a couple days ago and was excited to create my own version of a puffy shell.  I was experimenting with corn tortillas that were already made, which was my mistake.  These shells need to be made with fresh pressed masa or dough that's made with corn flour.  Because the masa is uncooked, they are very delicate and time consuming to make.  More so than the regular fried taco shells. 

In my case, I filled the shells with chorizo and potatoes and topped them with lettuce, onion, cheese, sour cream and salsa.  

I am so glad that I can now make my puffy tacos at home when I get the hankering for some but will continue to visit Arturo's Puffy Taco's whenever I'm in the area.

Prepare masa as directed on Masa Harina package

Roll masa into golf ball size balls

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Use a tortilla press to press the dough into a round flat disc

When using the press, I like to use a damp tea towel instead of plastic or wax paper

Carefully place dough in hot oil.  About 375º

Using 2 spatulas, carefully fold over one side.  (Let it fry up for about a minute before folding)

Drain shells on paper towels

Fill and top with your favorite taco ingredients. 

Last Christmas I decided to delve into the world of jelly making. I didn't have a clue but wanted to learn since I love jelly and biscuits. I wanted something different than the boring selection at the grocery store but didn't want to pay the prices being charged for the specialty jellies so I decided, why not make my own!

What pushed me to finally try it was my niece. For Christmas, we pick names in our family and the gift we give must be homemade. I picked my niece and on her wish list was jellies.

Blackberries happened to be on sale and I bought a bunch. I ended up with about 12 jars of blackberry jelly. It was good but I wanted something a little more special so I searched the web looking for ideas. I came across this site that mentioned Raspberry Jalapeno Jelly. That was it! I wanted to immediately try it. I made a batch and loved the taste. I vowed that next time, I would add a little more jalapeno since the kick needed to be a little stronger.

I have been waiting all this time for raspberries to go on sale but they haven't....until now. I finally got my chance to make my jelly. I went out this morning and bought 6 baskets of raspberries. We have jalapenos growing in our yard and I used those.

I can't wait until I crack open a jar and slather it over my homemade biscuits. I also like to pour it over a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers for snacking.

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Important to clean and sterilize jars, rings and lids.  I wash and dry the jars in hot soapy water, then sterilize them in boiling water.

Wash 5 cups of raspberries.  I used about 10 small jalapenos (our plant produces small chile's), or if they are large jalapenos, try starting with 5.  I placed them in a food chopper until they were tiny, tiny pieces and added the vein and seeds of 3 of them.  I also used about 4 cups of sugar and 1 pouch of the pectin powder.

While the jars and lids are sterilizing, I poured 1 cup apple cider vinegar into a large stockpot and let it heat up then added the raspberries, stirring until they started to break apart.  I then added the jalapenos making sure to add a little at a time so as not to overpower the raspberries.  I stirred it all together and then added the pectin.  Once it's all stirred together, I tested a small amount on a spoon to check the heat from the jalapeno.  This is where I add more jalapenos if I want it hotter.  If you add too much in the beginning, you're stuck with spicy jelly.  The last thing is the sugar.  Add and stir until dissolved and well mixed. 

Carefully take the jars out of the hot water and place near the raspberry pot.  I use a wide mouth funnel to fill the jars with the jelly mixture, leaving about 1/4" at the top.  Once all the jars are filled, wipe the rim of the jars with a damp paper towel to remove any jelly that is there. 

Place the seal on the jar and close with ring making sure not to close too tight.  Place jars back in the hot water, making sure the jars are covered in water and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes.  Carefully remove the jars from the water bath and let cool.  The seals should pop to ensure they are sealed properly.

If you don't hear them pop, just press down on the top.  If they give in the center, they are not sealed properly. You will need to reseal.  http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/531272  Once they are done and cool, just open a jar and enjoy!

Tori's Spring Rolls

I just discovered the world of spring rolls.  I've had and love egg rolls but never the clear rice paper wrapped spring rolls.  Until about a month ago when I saw my daughter's boyfriend eating some and they looked so good.

Our local Ralph's has a deli and they have a section where they sell sushi and spring rolls.  There is someone behind the counter making them fresh daily and as I reached for my normal cucumber and avocado roll, I saw the package of vegetable spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce and decided to try it.  I was hooked!

Craving these would normally dip into my budget but I decided to learn how to make them myself.  There's an Asian market that just opened around the corner and I decided to buy the rice paper wrappers.  I looked up a couple recipes and decided to give it a try.

I took red cabbage, green lettuce, cucumber, carrots, alfalfa sprouts and cilantro and used that as the stuffing, using my kitchen aid shredding cones to shred the cabbage and carrots.

The rice paper comes in a package and is firm and has a texture to it.  It almost looks like a round sheet of hard plastic.  Don't worry though.  Just fill a pie dish with warm water and place a sheet of the rice paper in the dish for a couple of minutes, turning to moisten thoroughly.  The textured design should disappear and the round should be very thin.  Be careful because they can tear easily.

Once the texture is gone and the paper is super thin and pliable, I laid it on a piece of paper towel to remove the excess water.  Remove from the paper towel, lay it on a plate and fill with your ingredients of choice and roll, tucking in the sides as you go.   The paper will seem a little sticky but that's normal.

For the peanut sauce, I experimented with smooth peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, warm water and sugar (dissolve the sugar in the water) and grated fresh ginger.

Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas

This is a recipe I made that is so refreshing when it's hot.  No cooking, except for the tostada shells, or you could purchase them already done although they aren't nearly as good as homemade.

For this recipe I used:

Large cooked and deveined shrimp
green onion
cilantro
avocado - cut into small squares
tomato - inside and seeds removed
lemon juice
lime juice
cucumber - remove seeds and cut into small squares
jalapeno chili - about 2 or 3 depending how hot you want it
salt
garlic powder
onion powder

I didn't give measurements because it depends how much you want to make.  I used a 32 oz. bag of large shrimp.  Remove the tails and cut into bite size pieces.  Chop 5 green onion stems, cilantro, tomato, cucumber, avocado and jalapeno and add to the shrimp.  Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons and 2 limes into mixture.  Add more if needed.  Add 1 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. onion powder and salt to taste.  Mix and let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Meanwhile if you want the homemade tostada shells, heat cooking oil in a frying pan until heated to 350º or until the handle of a wooden spoon inserted in the oil shows bubbles around it.  Make sure your oil is not smoking or it will burn the shells.  Add a corn tortilla watching it to make sure it doesn't burn.  Let tortilla cook in the oil about 1-2 minutes then carefully turn it over.  Continue to cook the shell until it is just golden and crisp.  Drain on paper towels.

Serve with rice and enjoy!